UAE government launches official Instagram account

@UAEGOV to give citizens behind-the-scenes view of officials at work

The Instagram account will include a library of exclusive photos of officials and behind-the-scenes footage of government work.

The UAE government has launched its official account on Facebook-owned image-sharing service Instagram, the Ministry of Cabinet affairs announced today.

The ministry said the move was "to raise awareness about [the government's] work and activities among various segments of the community".

The account, @UAEGOV, will serve as a platform to introduce and share federal government activities with the public, the ministry said, as part of the Gulf nation's leadership's "growing interest in employing [the] latest technologies to engage with various segments of the community".

The Instagram account will include a library of exclusive photos of officials and behind-the-scenes footage of government work. It includes "on-the-spot information" on meetings of the UAE Cabinet and the Ministerial Cabinet for Services and also features a photographic archive of the Cabinet.

The Instagram account's debut follows the launch of the UAE government YouTube channel, in June, by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The channel is an official and exclusive source of news related to the federal government's activities.